Jake Price picks out two to follow on Friday at Listowel and Worcester.
14:40 Worcester See All Odds
ROAD TO WEMBLEY 1pt Win @ 13/2
Most people will look at the fact that ROAD TO WEMBLEY is top weight here, see that some of his opposition are better off at the weights and just write him off – but I still think there is plenty of mileage left in his mark. This race has ultimately been the plan for him for some time now, and I want to have this progressive youngster on side.
This useful Flat horse has made a pretty seamless transition to the jumping game since joining Olly Murphy mid-way through last season, and on debut he ran an especially big race to finish second behind the highly progressive Cosmic Connection (138) off level weights. Both Horses came from off the pace that day, but Sir Alex Ferguson’s 5yo travelled slightly stronger and hit the front first – before he was picked up in the final strides of the race. Considering that rival has since won the Novices’ Championship Final Handicap Hurdle however, it was clearly a very good effort.
Connections have built him up steadily since that second-place finish, readily taking in a 2m Maiden Hurdle at Southwell before then going to Aintree under a 7lbs penalty, where he dispatched of Maskarvel by 6.5 lengths in May. He found plenty off the bridle that day when asked for his effort by Sean Bowen, and that victory cemented my view that this is a horse worth following going forward.
Last month connections got him qualified for this Series Final by running at Worcester, and the race looked a very competitive one on paper. If I am being honest, I am not sure whether the plan was really to win with ROAD TO WEMBLEY that day, but under 7lbs claimer Troy Walsh he delt with the step up in distance to 2m4f with ease, and once again found plenty off the bridle to get up in the shadows of the post. I think it is clear that connections left plenty to work on that day after a 96-day absence with this race in the back of their minds, and surely that means there is now more to come.
Thankfully the Handicapper did not take that performance too literally and left his mark of 124 unchanged, but you would still have to say that it was a nice performance to beat a race fit Square d’Alboni (119). That rival will now be 8lbs better off at the weights with our selection on Friday, but it is notable that Sean Bowen is reunited in the saddle for a huge jockey upgrade on our selection, whereas Harry Skelton has been replaced by the much more inexperienced Harry Atkins on the second.
15:25 ListowelSee All Odds
GAMEBALL 1pt EW (5 Places) @ 9/1
I have to say that I was very much put off by the drift in the market for GAMEBALL in the Galway Hurdle, where he was sent off a fairly unfancied 14/1 shot. The performance he put in there in combination with a few other factors makes him extremely interesting in these calmer waters at Listowel however, and he looks a nice each/way price.
Last season this 6yo won on Hurdles debut at Punchestown in October with ease, before he was then upped in class for the Grade 2 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle where he was a good fourth behind useful Novice Hurdlers Koktail Brut (140), Blake (139) and The Passing Wife (142), whilst also having subsequent Grade 1 winner Eachtotheirown (143) behind. That rates as a nice piece of form now in the context of his current handicap mark.
He wouldn’t be seen again until the Punchestown Festival after that performance presumably due to some sort of setback, but his return to the track was quite an eye-catching one, as he finished in third place behind Beauvallon (133) and Immediate Effect (128), who were both in receipt of 8lbs. The way he got caught in behind before staying on again at the finish suggested that he would come on for that effort however, and perhaps he might of at Kilbeggan but for stepping up in trip to 2m4f and not staying that sort of distance.
That run at Kilbeggan saw him beaten 10 lengths by Paul’s Dream who now reopposes, but rather spectacularly our selection will now be 17lbs better off at the weights – and this 2m trip will surely suit GAMEBALL much more.
As mentioned, we last saw this 6yo when running in the Galway Handicap Hurdle where he was a good third place off a mark of 133, where he travelled well on the inside running rail. He hit the front jumping the last and looked to have the race at his mercy, but that extended run-in saw him picked up by Putapoundinthejar (138), who had a target to aim at and make use of his Flat speed. You would imagine that on this occasion Darragh O’Keeffe will hold on for him a bit longer, and if he does, then he could take a bit of stopping. Last year’s winner Casheldale Lad followed the exact same route to victory.
